COLOMBO: In a bid to eliminate the environmentally harmful cultivations in Sri Lanka, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has imposed an immediate ban on the import of palm oil and ordered the gradual removal of the crops, an official said on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka, President on Monday ordered his officials to promulgate laws preventing fresh imports of palm oil, releasing already imported stocks to the markets and gradually starting to uproot palm plantations, as per DPA news report.  "The objective of the President is to free the country of use of palm oil and eradicate palm cultivations from the country," the spokesperson said.

Under a phased-out plan to stop palm cultivation, the President ordered the uprooting of 10 percent of existing palm plantations annually, and that they be replaced by rubber or environmentally friendly crops.

In the run-up to the presidential elections in 2019, Rajapaksa vowed to stop palm cultivation in the country after villages complained about the environmental damage it causes, including deforestation, soil erosion and water pollution.

The move by the government to ban palm oil imports met immediate resistance from a section of the industry that uses palm oil to manufacture bakery products, animal feed and soaps.

Sri Lanka imports around 200,000 tonnes of palm oil annually, mainly from Indonesia and Malaysia, according to trade sources. There are currently around 11,000 hectares of palm plantations in the country.

Pak FM says India and Pakistan cannot afford to engage in an all-out war

Saudi Arabia Allows Only Vaccinated Pilgrims to Enter Mecca

Australian Prime Minister welcomes New Zealand's travel bubble